HIGHLIGHTS
FAO regional study finds gaps in seed availability and access
FAO launches regional appeal requesting $108 million to support 19 million people in the region
USAID partners continue to respond to drought-related humanitarian needs across the Southern Africa region
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
In early August, the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) reported that increasing numbers of households across Southern Africa will face significant threats to their food security and livelihoods through September. FEWS NET noted that many households in drought-affected areas of Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe continue to experience Stressed—IPC 2—and Crisis—IPC 3—levels of food insecurity, with further deterioration likely as food prices increase and supplies diminish during the peak of the October-to-January lean season.5 FEWS NET also predicted that some areas currently facing Stressed conditions will reach Crisis levels of food insecurity by October, and acutely affected areas of southern Madagascar, Malawi, and Zimbabwe may reach Emergency—IPC 4—levels of food insecurity.
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts that the La Niña climatic event may result in above-average rainfall in parts of Southern Africa from November 2016 to May 2017. Increased rainfall could hasten the regeneration of pasture land and lead to above-average harvests, potentially alleviating food insecurity in some areas beginning in February 2017. FAO notes that improved harvests will depend on access to agricultural inputs, including seed and fertilizer, prior to the onset of the October rainy season. FAO also cautions that excessive La Niña precipitation could result in localized flooding, potentially destroying crops, eroding topsoil, and increasing livestock morbidity and mortality.